The rec.arts.tv FAQL:

Last updated:  February 1, 2004.
This version:  8.00
Note: The date of the last update is the date of the last change to this section; lack of an update since then means that the contents of this particular section are still true or valid to the present day. This page will be updated with every new major update (i.e. version x.00) of this FAQL, however.

Section 3.9: "What's the deal with these TV (content) ratings/labels? What are they, and how does it all work? And The V-Chip: what is it, when, and how will it work?"

Answer: Let's start off with the V-Chip.

As part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Congress mandated that all televisions manufactured after 1997 must include a so-called "V-Chip". The "V-Chip" will allow (not force) owners of TVs (i.e. parents) to program the V-Chip to block out programming above a certain "rating". The V-Chip will be defaulted to off, and must be manually activated by the owner of the TV for it to work. When activated by an objectionable rating, the V-Chip will either "black out" the TV screen or turn the TV off (technically, how the V-Chip will work exactly has yet to be resolved).

In order for the V-Chip to work, TV shows needed to be rated. After much anguish, that job finally fell to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS; the people behind the Emmys) and a coalition of broadcasters, producers and MPAA Chairman Jack Valenti.

On December 19, 1996, the (first) TV ratings system was unveiled. This (first) TV rating system is/was an age-based system. It consists of 2 ratings specific to children's programming (i.e. Saturday morning, FOX and WBN afternoons, NICK, Cartoon Network, etc.), and 4 ratings for all "general" programming. Sports and news programming will not be rated; the exact definition of "news" programming is still undetermined.

Here are the (initial) age-based rating categories, with descriptions. Let's start with the children's ratings:

And here are the "general" age-based categories:

Unfortunately, this first system satisfied no one. The ratings are self-imposed by the production companies and the networks, rather than from an independent board. As a result, different networks rated similar programming differently. In addition, many felt the networks were skirting the intent of the ratings by giving most everything in Primetime (including such racy fare as NBC's "Friends") a "TV-PG" rating.

This whole thing led to an uproar among so-called "Children's Advocacy Groups", and among some Washington politicians, who all demanded further content ratings.

After many squabbles, a secondary system was developed and agreed to in July, 1997. This system involves supplementing the old age-based ratings with content-based labels devoted to specific programming content and situations. However, citing so-called "First Amendment concerns", NBC has opted not to use these supplementary labels, and will stick to using just the age-based ratings.

Five new labels were agreed to. The first one is devoted solely to children's programming, and it is:

The other four labels will be added to "TV-PG", "TV-14" and "TV-MA" shows, and are for more general content; these labels are:


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